this isn't over, it just began
title: this isn’t over, it just began
pairing: Mark Webber/Sebastian Vettel
rating: pg-13
disclaimer: This never happened.
summary: The first time they meet, Sebastian ends up nearly killing Mark. [dragon au.]
art: Absolutely gorgeous art by glitterburn over here. Go comment and tell her how awesome it is. :D
notes: Much love to kiraras_lemon and pretty_panther for both beta duties and cheerleading. Also love to eleclya_m for her endless encouragment.
title is from Anberlin - Audrey, Start the Revolution!
[originally posted for the f1slash summer challenge. art is posted in that community under friendslock.]
The first time they meet, Sebastian ends up nearly killing Mark.
(Seb always argues that that’s not the way it happened, but it pretty much is.)
-
It’s a miserable day. It’s been raining on and off all day, which, added in with a cold wind, makes it really not a day for flying.
Shadow doesn't like flying in wet weather, says he can't stay aloft as long and always tries to talk Mark out of it if it’s for something trivial. Which is kind of weird, considering Shadow, like all the dragons, is made of metal and held together with a mix of magic and engineering, and quite possibly shouldn't have his own opinions. When Mark first started riding Shadow, the dragon didn’t have much in the way of opinions and independent thought, but the longer they’ve been together, the more Shadow’s personality develops.
But as much as Shadow might hate flying in the rain, they've got a job to do. And they're the only ones who can do it.
Each outpost, at the very least, has two riders and two dragons. Some of them - the oldest and most prestigious postings - have more, but as the war goes on, that's becoming rarer and rarer.
Creating a new dragon costs too much - in time, money and energy - that it’s just not an option anymore.
David left a month ago, orders to report to the central headquarters to act as an advisor. A promotion. And, typically, they’re all too happy to take people away, but not so quick to replace them.
So now Mark's stuck out here on his own, more or less. He's got Christian and Adrian and the engineers, but he's the only one who can go out there and actually do something. Occasionally, one of the other outposts sends a rider over to do a patrol and give Mark a break, and the engineers help as much as they can.
But as good as human sight is, it can't quite compare to a dragon.
And if they did have another rider, Mark thinks, at least he'd have a chance of not being the one riding out in the rain.
When they finish the patrol, Shadow lands in the courtyard at the centre of the outpost. It’s technically big enough for two dragons, but since David’s been gone, there hasn’t been any need to leave any space for another dragon.
Maybe Shadow has a point about the weather though, because the sound of the wind and rain mean Mark doesn't notice anything coming towards him until it's nearly too late. Shadow notices before he does, taking flight suddenly in order to get out of the way. Mark's not expecting the manoeuvre - he's not even attached to the harness - and has to cling on for dear life to stay on.
Another dragon lands, somewhat clumsily coming to a stop. It looks familiar, and Mark realises it’s probably David's. But the rider is far too small and pale and young to possibly be David.
‘What were you doing?’ the kid spits out as Mark comes closer. ‘Didn’t you see?’
‘What was I doing?’ Mark yells back. ‘You idiot! You’re the one who flew straight at me.’
‘I tried to get your attention, but you weren’t paying attention.’
‘Then you should have waited!’
Anything the other rider says in reply is lost in the wind as Shadow circles around to come in and land again.
When Mark and Shadow land alongside the other pair, he notices the younger man shaking. He looks closer, and realises he's only wearing a thin jacket, which is soaked through. Mark, on the other hand, is wearing his flying gear, which may be thin, but it offers a fair amount of protection from the elements. Which is more than can be said for the kid's clothes.
If it's what he suspects it is - that the kid's a runaway from the central offices - it’s not the first time someone's gotten themselves in too deep, and it probably won't be the last. Mark sighs, and rolls his eyes. It doesn't mean that it’s not a pain though.
'Come on,' he says. 'I'll take you to Christian. He'll know what to do.'
For a moment, the younger man seems like he's going to argue, but he eventually shrugs. He scrambles down from the dragon's back ungracefully, but runs a hand over the metallic hide and croons something softly to the dragon. When he straightens up, he notices Mark watching him and flushes. 'What?'
‘Nothing. Just hurry up, okay. It’s bloody cold.’
The kid snorts, but wisely doesn’t say anything else.
As they walk through the outpost, in the corner of his eye Mark can see the kid wrestling with a jacket or a coat of some sort. He doesn't know why exactly he wasn't wearing it before, but then again, it’s not his problem.
When they reach Christian’s office and Mark steps aside to let Christian see the kid, he isn’t expecting Christian to sigh heavily.
‘Sebastian,’ he says eventually. The name sounds a little familiar, and while Mark tries to figure out where he’s heard it, Christian carries on. ‘I’m guessing you know as well as I do that your orders say you’re reporting here in a week?’
Sebastian looks a little shamefaced. ‘It didn’t say anything about not being here now.’
He’s finally pulled on the jacket, and with a sinking feeling, Mark recognises the style and colour of it, as it’s a twin to his own jacket. 'He's-'
'David's replacement, yes,' Christian finishes. 'As I said, his orders were to report here in a week’s time, so you would have had warning.'
'Instead of him nearly running me over?'
Sebastian rolls his eyes. ‘It was an accident.’ He looks as if he’s going to say more, but Christian holds up a hand.
‘Mark, carry on as you have been until next week. Sebastian will start his duties when his orders say he’s to report here.’ Sebastian’s face falls, and Mark’s aware his own probably does as well. He gets that it’s a punishment of sorts for both of them. ‘Seb, you spend the week getting familiarised with everything.’
Seb - wisely, in Mark’s opinion - doesn’t argue, but just nods. He doesn’t look pleased with the prospect of doing nothing for a week, but Mark would gladly swap places with him. He’s used to being the only one available for patrols, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t tired.
‘Another thing. Why weren’t you wearing your jacket?’ Christian asks, and Mark looks up, mildly interested in the response.
Sebastian flushes. ‘It wasn’t raining further south, okay?’
Christian laughs. ‘It is rather rainy here. Dismissed. Be off with you. I need to talk to Mark.’
When Sebastian leaves, shutting the door behind him, Christian sighs. ‘You two are going to have to get along. I’m not asking for you to be best friends, but you have to be able to work together.’
Mark shrugs. ‘Wouldn’t they just send someone else if we sent him back?’
‘I requested Sebastian specifically. He’s talented, but he’s young and hot-headed.’ Mark snorts, but Christian ignores him. ‘He’s not as bad as you think.’
‘We’ll see,’ Mark says, even if he’s thinking something very different.
-
Most of the week, Mark doesn’t see much of Seb. He catches glimpses of blond hair out of the corner of his eye as he goes about his business, as Sebastian goes about learning how things work at the outpost. They don’t speak when they see each other, just exchange cursory nods and move on to pretending the other doesn’t exist.
Towards the end of the week, Seb finally makes a move to break the stalemate.
‘The next time you patrol, can I-’ He falters a bit, and then continues. ‘Can I come? I mean, if your dragon can carry the two of us.’
Mark stares at him a little blankly, and then shakes himself. ‘I mean, sure. It’s a good idea.’ Seb’s smile is a little strange, but Mark understands after a moment. ‘Christian told you to ask.’
Seb grins wickedly. ‘No, he suggested I did. But the implied consequences were... Well, I do not want to be in trouble already. More trouble, I mean.’
Mark looks outside to judge the weather and the light. It’s clear enough for once, but the afternoon is drawing to a close. ‘We’ll head out soon, before it gets too dark.’
-
When Mark walks into the dragons’ courtyard, Seb’s already there, bundled up in his flying gear.
‘Are you warm enough there?’ Mark says, laughing.
Seb flushes. ‘I get cold, okay. This is further north than I’m used to and-’
Mark holds his hands up in a placating gesture. ‘I’m just teasing you, kid.’ He ignores the younger man and begins to check Shadow’s harness. He trusts everyone here - well, everyone except his teammate - but as far as Mark’s concerned, there’s no such thing as being too careful.
When he’s finished his checks, Seb’s still over the other side of the courtyard, pretending not to watch. ‘Come on,’ Mark says. ‘Can’t wait around forever. It’ll get dark soon.’
When Seb makes as if to sit behind Mark, Mark catches his arm. ‘Sit in front of me.’ When Sebastian looks at him a little incredulously, Mark rolls his eyes. ‘So you can see better, idiot. Like you’re going to see much behind me. Especially as the whole point is for you to get to know the area.’
As they patrol, Mark occasionally points out certain landmarks and areas, where the invisible lines between ‘us’ and ‘them’ are, and when to worry. Seb’s quiet and mostly attentive, but by the time they’ve finished, he’s stifling yawns.
‘You’ll have to get used to that,’ Mark says, laughing.
Seb rolls his eyes. ‘I know, I know.’ But he smiles anyway, looking sleepy and almost contented.
If it makes Mark feel suddenly protective, he ignores it, and squashes the feeling down.
-
For a while, it seems as if they're making progress. Seb turns out to have a wicked sense of humour when he's not sulking, and Mark actually begins to look forward to spending time with him. Everyone seems to be in a better mood - Christian, the engineers, even the dragons.
But suddenly and without warning, Seb withdraws. Instead of smiling and joking, he's sullen and ignores any attempts to draw him into conversation.
One evening, he asks Seb something, and the other man doesn’t reply. When Mark repeats the question, Seb just looks at him vacantly. And Mark’s had enough. It’s an inconsequential question, but it’s the last straw.
‘God,’ he says, feeling angry and tired and frustrated. ‘I just. What’s even up with you? Are you that self absorbed?’ He doesn’t wait to hear if Sebastian has anything more to say before walking away.
And after that, Mark gives up. Even though it makes Seb even worse - if that was possible - it’s not like anything he was doing was having an effect. And Mark's just not that kind of person to keep on trying.
-
He's having a lie in - a much deserved one, in his opinion - when he hears the sound of a dragon calling frantically. After a moment, he hears Shadow's reply. The urgency in the other dragon's voice doesn't change, even if Mark can't make out any words.
At any rate, he's not getting back to sleep, so he dresses and goes to see what the problem is.
There's only Shadow and Seb's dragon in the courtyard - as well as a few engineers - but no sign of the other rider.
'What happened?' Christian asks as he appears from inside.
'Sebastian's gone,' his dragon says.
'Gone?' Mark echoes.
'One moment he was there, the next he wasn't. We weren't flying that high.'
'Did anyone see him before he went on patrol?'
One of the engineers tentatively raises a hand. 'He was quiet.'
'He seemed... splotchy?' the dragon adds thoughtfully. 'And he was saying it was cold. Even though I made him wear all his furs.
Christian groans. 'He must have picked up a fever or something. And not have properly attached his harness. Idiot... Where did you last see him?'
Seb's dragon is quiet for a moment. 'North. Where the river bends a lot. We stopped to rest. And we carried on, and then he wasn't there anymore.'
Mark's blood runs cold. He knows where that is, and more importantly, he remembers seeing a camp not too far from there on his last patrol.
'We have to go now,' he says. 'There's been activity near there recently. So. He might have been captured.'
-
Sebastian's dragon insists on flying with them, even though nobody else can really ride it.
'It’s not as if Sebastian'll be able to fly you back,' Shadow tells it snidely.
It ignores it, and simply says 'Mine,' and speeds away from Shadow and Mark.
Shadow huffs indignantly, and Mark strokes his hide. 'Come on,' he says soothingly. 'As if anyone would be able to stop you if it was me?'
'Hah. I'd already be there.'
-
When they land, Seb’s dragon looks around before finally saying, ‘This was it.’
Mark swings to the ground, and begins to look for any possible clues or signs. The recent rain has made the ground soft and slightly muddy, and there’s at least one clear set of footprints. When he straightens up, both dragons are watching him intently.
‘There’s only been one person here,’ Mark tells them. When they look back at him blankly, he elaborates. ‘I’m pretty sure Sebastian was here. But only when you landed here.’
‘But where is he?’ the dragon says fretfully.
‘I don’t know.’ Now he’s fairly sure Seb hasn’t been captured, Mark feels some relief, but it’s only fleeting. Sure, Sebastian probably isn’t being tortured somewhere, but they still don’t know where he is.
‘Shadow, go fly around the area to see if you can see anything. Anything suspicious. I’ll look a little further out.’
-
Mark’s about to give up on the search, either to head back to the outpost to get Christian’s advice or to simply retrace Seb’s patrol route, when he hears a triumphant noise from Shadow. A moment later, his dragon comes into sight overhead.
‘Found him!’
Mark runs in the same direction as Shadow’s flying, ignoring the branches and bushes in the way. He finds himself in a small clearing, not nearly big enough for either of the dragons to land in. Seb’s propped up against a tree, shaking and covered in mud. When Mark puts a hand to his forehead, Seb’s skin is clammy and warm.
‘You idiot,’ Mark says. ‘If you were ill, you should have said so.’
‘You didn’t exactly seem interested in hearing any explanation,’ Seb says bitterly.
Mark scowls, and drags the other man to his feet. Seb winces when he puts his weight on one of his ankles, but he doesn’t complain. ‘You weren’t exactly in a stellar mood yourself.’
Seb’s expression is just miserable. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Do you know how fucking worried I was?’ Neither of them says anything for a long while, and when Mark looks over at Seb, he’s looking at the ground. ‘Come on,’ Mark says eventually. ‘You’ve got a frantic dragon who thinks it lost you.’
Seb tries to walk, but gasps a little bit. ‘My ankle,’ he says. ‘I fell on it when I fell off.’
Mark’s still angry and frustrated, and he wants to yell at Sebastian. But he doesn’t. Instead, he asks ‘Do I need to carry you?’
Seb blinks, and shakes his head. ‘Just help me, okay?’
And maybe Seb clings to him a little more than he needs to, but maybe Mark realises he’s more relieved than angry.
-
Seb’s on enforced bed rest after Mark brings him back, quite literally. He tries to sneak out to see his dragon, but it gently headbutts him back inside. During his second escape attempt, there’s a strange hissing noise and possibly some very pointed threats, and after that, Seb seems content to stay inside.
Mark’s stuck doing all the patrols again, but honestly, he doesn’t mind that much. Although he keeps making a point to remind Seb of the fact that, technically, he’s meant to be there to help make Mark’s life easier. Seb knows he doesn’t mean it, and just rolls his eyes in response.
They don’t bring up the whole incident again. Mark’s pretty sure Christian’s spoken to Sebastian about it, but he doesn’t know the details and doesn’t really want to, if he’s honest.
On the evening of the day the medics finally clear Sebastian for duty, Mark knocks on Seb’s door.
‘I think we should start over,’ he says when the other man opens the door, and he’s rewarded with a smile.
‘I think that might be a good idea,’ Seb says, still grinning. ‘For Christian’s sanity, at least.’
‘And just so you know,’ Mark carries on. ‘Every time you get even the slightest bit grouchy, you’re going to be grounded from patrol duty until you get the doctors to check you over.’
‘Every time?’
‘Yes,’ he says firmly. ‘We’re not going through that again.’
Sebastian sighs and shakes his head, but his eyes are sparkling with mischief. ‘Is that all?’
Mark hesitates for a moment, and then leans forward, and kisses him lightly. ‘Now, that’s it.’
-
Mark still tells the story of how they met as Sebastian nearly killing him. Sebastian just laughs and rolls his eyes.
pairing: Mark Webber/Sebastian Vettel
rating: pg-13
disclaimer: This never happened.
summary: The first time they meet, Sebastian ends up nearly killing Mark. [dragon au.]
art: Absolutely gorgeous art by glitterburn over here. Go comment and tell her how awesome it is. :D
notes: Much love to kiraras_lemon and pretty_panther for both beta duties and cheerleading. Also love to eleclya_m for her endless encouragment.
title is from Anberlin - Audrey, Start the Revolution!
[originally posted for the f1slash summer challenge. art is posted in that community under friendslock.]
The first time they meet, Sebastian ends up nearly killing Mark.
(Seb always argues that that’s not the way it happened, but it pretty much is.)
-
It’s a miserable day. It’s been raining on and off all day, which, added in with a cold wind, makes it really not a day for flying.
Shadow doesn't like flying in wet weather, says he can't stay aloft as long and always tries to talk Mark out of it if it’s for something trivial. Which is kind of weird, considering Shadow, like all the dragons, is made of metal and held together with a mix of magic and engineering, and quite possibly shouldn't have his own opinions. When Mark first started riding Shadow, the dragon didn’t have much in the way of opinions and independent thought, but the longer they’ve been together, the more Shadow’s personality develops.
But as much as Shadow might hate flying in the rain, they've got a job to do. And they're the only ones who can do it.
Each outpost, at the very least, has two riders and two dragons. Some of them - the oldest and most prestigious postings - have more, but as the war goes on, that's becoming rarer and rarer.
Creating a new dragon costs too much - in time, money and energy - that it’s just not an option anymore.
David left a month ago, orders to report to the central headquarters to act as an advisor. A promotion. And, typically, they’re all too happy to take people away, but not so quick to replace them.
So now Mark's stuck out here on his own, more or less. He's got Christian and Adrian and the engineers, but he's the only one who can go out there and actually do something. Occasionally, one of the other outposts sends a rider over to do a patrol and give Mark a break, and the engineers help as much as they can.
But as good as human sight is, it can't quite compare to a dragon.
And if they did have another rider, Mark thinks, at least he'd have a chance of not being the one riding out in the rain.
When they finish the patrol, Shadow lands in the courtyard at the centre of the outpost. It’s technically big enough for two dragons, but since David’s been gone, there hasn’t been any need to leave any space for another dragon.
Maybe Shadow has a point about the weather though, because the sound of the wind and rain mean Mark doesn't notice anything coming towards him until it's nearly too late. Shadow notices before he does, taking flight suddenly in order to get out of the way. Mark's not expecting the manoeuvre - he's not even attached to the harness - and has to cling on for dear life to stay on.
Another dragon lands, somewhat clumsily coming to a stop. It looks familiar, and Mark realises it’s probably David's. But the rider is far too small and pale and young to possibly be David.
‘What were you doing?’ the kid spits out as Mark comes closer. ‘Didn’t you see?’
‘What was I doing?’ Mark yells back. ‘You idiot! You’re the one who flew straight at me.’
‘I tried to get your attention, but you weren’t paying attention.’
‘Then you should have waited!’
Anything the other rider says in reply is lost in the wind as Shadow circles around to come in and land again.
When Mark and Shadow land alongside the other pair, he notices the younger man shaking. He looks closer, and realises he's only wearing a thin jacket, which is soaked through. Mark, on the other hand, is wearing his flying gear, which may be thin, but it offers a fair amount of protection from the elements. Which is more than can be said for the kid's clothes.
If it's what he suspects it is - that the kid's a runaway from the central offices - it’s not the first time someone's gotten themselves in too deep, and it probably won't be the last. Mark sighs, and rolls his eyes. It doesn't mean that it’s not a pain though.
'Come on,' he says. 'I'll take you to Christian. He'll know what to do.'
For a moment, the younger man seems like he's going to argue, but he eventually shrugs. He scrambles down from the dragon's back ungracefully, but runs a hand over the metallic hide and croons something softly to the dragon. When he straightens up, he notices Mark watching him and flushes. 'What?'
‘Nothing. Just hurry up, okay. It’s bloody cold.’
The kid snorts, but wisely doesn’t say anything else.
As they walk through the outpost, in the corner of his eye Mark can see the kid wrestling with a jacket or a coat of some sort. He doesn't know why exactly he wasn't wearing it before, but then again, it’s not his problem.
When they reach Christian’s office and Mark steps aside to let Christian see the kid, he isn’t expecting Christian to sigh heavily.
‘Sebastian,’ he says eventually. The name sounds a little familiar, and while Mark tries to figure out where he’s heard it, Christian carries on. ‘I’m guessing you know as well as I do that your orders say you’re reporting here in a week?’
Sebastian looks a little shamefaced. ‘It didn’t say anything about not being here now.’
He’s finally pulled on the jacket, and with a sinking feeling, Mark recognises the style and colour of it, as it’s a twin to his own jacket. 'He's-'
'David's replacement, yes,' Christian finishes. 'As I said, his orders were to report here in a week’s time, so you would have had warning.'
'Instead of him nearly running me over?'
Sebastian rolls his eyes. ‘It was an accident.’ He looks as if he’s going to say more, but Christian holds up a hand.
‘Mark, carry on as you have been until next week. Sebastian will start his duties when his orders say he’s to report here.’ Sebastian’s face falls, and Mark’s aware his own probably does as well. He gets that it’s a punishment of sorts for both of them. ‘Seb, you spend the week getting familiarised with everything.’
Seb - wisely, in Mark’s opinion - doesn’t argue, but just nods. He doesn’t look pleased with the prospect of doing nothing for a week, but Mark would gladly swap places with him. He’s used to being the only one available for patrols, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t tired.
‘Another thing. Why weren’t you wearing your jacket?’ Christian asks, and Mark looks up, mildly interested in the response.
Sebastian flushes. ‘It wasn’t raining further south, okay?’
Christian laughs. ‘It is rather rainy here. Dismissed. Be off with you. I need to talk to Mark.’
When Sebastian leaves, shutting the door behind him, Christian sighs. ‘You two are going to have to get along. I’m not asking for you to be best friends, but you have to be able to work together.’
Mark shrugs. ‘Wouldn’t they just send someone else if we sent him back?’
‘I requested Sebastian specifically. He’s talented, but he’s young and hot-headed.’ Mark snorts, but Christian ignores him. ‘He’s not as bad as you think.’
‘We’ll see,’ Mark says, even if he’s thinking something very different.
-
Most of the week, Mark doesn’t see much of Seb. He catches glimpses of blond hair out of the corner of his eye as he goes about his business, as Sebastian goes about learning how things work at the outpost. They don’t speak when they see each other, just exchange cursory nods and move on to pretending the other doesn’t exist.
Towards the end of the week, Seb finally makes a move to break the stalemate.
‘The next time you patrol, can I-’ He falters a bit, and then continues. ‘Can I come? I mean, if your dragon can carry the two of us.’
Mark stares at him a little blankly, and then shakes himself. ‘I mean, sure. It’s a good idea.’ Seb’s smile is a little strange, but Mark understands after a moment. ‘Christian told you to ask.’
Seb grins wickedly. ‘No, he suggested I did. But the implied consequences were... Well, I do not want to be in trouble already. More trouble, I mean.’
Mark looks outside to judge the weather and the light. It’s clear enough for once, but the afternoon is drawing to a close. ‘We’ll head out soon, before it gets too dark.’
-
When Mark walks into the dragons’ courtyard, Seb’s already there, bundled up in his flying gear.
‘Are you warm enough there?’ Mark says, laughing.
Seb flushes. ‘I get cold, okay. This is further north than I’m used to and-’
Mark holds his hands up in a placating gesture. ‘I’m just teasing you, kid.’ He ignores the younger man and begins to check Shadow’s harness. He trusts everyone here - well, everyone except his teammate - but as far as Mark’s concerned, there’s no such thing as being too careful.
When he’s finished his checks, Seb’s still over the other side of the courtyard, pretending not to watch. ‘Come on,’ Mark says. ‘Can’t wait around forever. It’ll get dark soon.’
When Seb makes as if to sit behind Mark, Mark catches his arm. ‘Sit in front of me.’ When Sebastian looks at him a little incredulously, Mark rolls his eyes. ‘So you can see better, idiot. Like you’re going to see much behind me. Especially as the whole point is for you to get to know the area.’
As they patrol, Mark occasionally points out certain landmarks and areas, where the invisible lines between ‘us’ and ‘them’ are, and when to worry. Seb’s quiet and mostly attentive, but by the time they’ve finished, he’s stifling yawns.
‘You’ll have to get used to that,’ Mark says, laughing.
Seb rolls his eyes. ‘I know, I know.’ But he smiles anyway, looking sleepy and almost contented.
If it makes Mark feel suddenly protective, he ignores it, and squashes the feeling down.
-
For a while, it seems as if they're making progress. Seb turns out to have a wicked sense of humour when he's not sulking, and Mark actually begins to look forward to spending time with him. Everyone seems to be in a better mood - Christian, the engineers, even the dragons.
But suddenly and without warning, Seb withdraws. Instead of smiling and joking, he's sullen and ignores any attempts to draw him into conversation.
One evening, he asks Seb something, and the other man doesn’t reply. When Mark repeats the question, Seb just looks at him vacantly. And Mark’s had enough. It’s an inconsequential question, but it’s the last straw.
‘God,’ he says, feeling angry and tired and frustrated. ‘I just. What’s even up with you? Are you that self absorbed?’ He doesn’t wait to hear if Sebastian has anything more to say before walking away.
And after that, Mark gives up. Even though it makes Seb even worse - if that was possible - it’s not like anything he was doing was having an effect. And Mark's just not that kind of person to keep on trying.
-
He's having a lie in - a much deserved one, in his opinion - when he hears the sound of a dragon calling frantically. After a moment, he hears Shadow's reply. The urgency in the other dragon's voice doesn't change, even if Mark can't make out any words.
At any rate, he's not getting back to sleep, so he dresses and goes to see what the problem is.
There's only Shadow and Seb's dragon in the courtyard - as well as a few engineers - but no sign of the other rider.
'What happened?' Christian asks as he appears from inside.
'Sebastian's gone,' his dragon says.
'Gone?' Mark echoes.
'One moment he was there, the next he wasn't. We weren't flying that high.'
'Did anyone see him before he went on patrol?'
One of the engineers tentatively raises a hand. 'He was quiet.'
'He seemed... splotchy?' the dragon adds thoughtfully. 'And he was saying it was cold. Even though I made him wear all his furs.
Christian groans. 'He must have picked up a fever or something. And not have properly attached his harness. Idiot... Where did you last see him?'
Seb's dragon is quiet for a moment. 'North. Where the river bends a lot. We stopped to rest. And we carried on, and then he wasn't there anymore.'
Mark's blood runs cold. He knows where that is, and more importantly, he remembers seeing a camp not too far from there on his last patrol.
'We have to go now,' he says. 'There's been activity near there recently. So. He might have been captured.'
-
Sebastian's dragon insists on flying with them, even though nobody else can really ride it.
'It’s not as if Sebastian'll be able to fly you back,' Shadow tells it snidely.
It ignores it, and simply says 'Mine,' and speeds away from Shadow and Mark.
Shadow huffs indignantly, and Mark strokes his hide. 'Come on,' he says soothingly. 'As if anyone would be able to stop you if it was me?'
'Hah. I'd already be there.'
-
When they land, Seb’s dragon looks around before finally saying, ‘This was it.’
Mark swings to the ground, and begins to look for any possible clues or signs. The recent rain has made the ground soft and slightly muddy, and there’s at least one clear set of footprints. When he straightens up, both dragons are watching him intently.
‘There’s only been one person here,’ Mark tells them. When they look back at him blankly, he elaborates. ‘I’m pretty sure Sebastian was here. But only when you landed here.’
‘But where is he?’ the dragon says fretfully.
‘I don’t know.’ Now he’s fairly sure Seb hasn’t been captured, Mark feels some relief, but it’s only fleeting. Sure, Sebastian probably isn’t being tortured somewhere, but they still don’t know where he is.
‘Shadow, go fly around the area to see if you can see anything. Anything suspicious. I’ll look a little further out.’
-
Mark’s about to give up on the search, either to head back to the outpost to get Christian’s advice or to simply retrace Seb’s patrol route, when he hears a triumphant noise from Shadow. A moment later, his dragon comes into sight overhead.
‘Found him!’
Mark runs in the same direction as Shadow’s flying, ignoring the branches and bushes in the way. He finds himself in a small clearing, not nearly big enough for either of the dragons to land in. Seb’s propped up against a tree, shaking and covered in mud. When Mark puts a hand to his forehead, Seb’s skin is clammy and warm.
‘You idiot,’ Mark says. ‘If you were ill, you should have said so.’
‘You didn’t exactly seem interested in hearing any explanation,’ Seb says bitterly.
Mark scowls, and drags the other man to his feet. Seb winces when he puts his weight on one of his ankles, but he doesn’t complain. ‘You weren’t exactly in a stellar mood yourself.’
Seb’s expression is just miserable. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Do you know how fucking worried I was?’ Neither of them says anything for a long while, and when Mark looks over at Seb, he’s looking at the ground. ‘Come on,’ Mark says eventually. ‘You’ve got a frantic dragon who thinks it lost you.’
Seb tries to walk, but gasps a little bit. ‘My ankle,’ he says. ‘I fell on it when I fell off.’
Mark’s still angry and frustrated, and he wants to yell at Sebastian. But he doesn’t. Instead, he asks ‘Do I need to carry you?’
Seb blinks, and shakes his head. ‘Just help me, okay?’
And maybe Seb clings to him a little more than he needs to, but maybe Mark realises he’s more relieved than angry.
-
Seb’s on enforced bed rest after Mark brings him back, quite literally. He tries to sneak out to see his dragon, but it gently headbutts him back inside. During his second escape attempt, there’s a strange hissing noise and possibly some very pointed threats, and after that, Seb seems content to stay inside.
Mark’s stuck doing all the patrols again, but honestly, he doesn’t mind that much. Although he keeps making a point to remind Seb of the fact that, technically, he’s meant to be there to help make Mark’s life easier. Seb knows he doesn’t mean it, and just rolls his eyes in response.
They don’t bring up the whole incident again. Mark’s pretty sure Christian’s spoken to Sebastian about it, but he doesn’t know the details and doesn’t really want to, if he’s honest.
On the evening of the day the medics finally clear Sebastian for duty, Mark knocks on Seb’s door.
‘I think we should start over,’ he says when the other man opens the door, and he’s rewarded with a smile.
‘I think that might be a good idea,’ Seb says, still grinning. ‘For Christian’s sanity, at least.’
‘And just so you know,’ Mark carries on. ‘Every time you get even the slightest bit grouchy, you’re going to be grounded from patrol duty until you get the doctors to check you over.’
‘Every time?’
‘Yes,’ he says firmly. ‘We’re not going through that again.’
Sebastian sighs and shakes his head, but his eyes are sparkling with mischief. ‘Is that all?’
Mark hesitates for a moment, and then leans forward, and kisses him lightly. ‘Now, that’s it.’
-
Mark still tells the story of how they met as Sebastian nearly killing him. Sebastian just laughs and rolls his eyes.